Tony Beltran

Tony Beltran continued to be rock-solid at right back for Real Salt Lake in 2013 – his second full year as a RSL starter. The 26-year-old UCLA product made 25 appearances –24 of which were starts – in MLS league play last year. His presence on the field was felt throughout the season, with Real Salt Lake going 14-6-5 with Beltran in the lineup and 2-4-3 in the nine games he missed. In Beltran’s 25 league appearances, RSL allowed 26 goals, good for a 1.05 goals against average. The California native played every minute of the Claret-and-Cobalt’s five playoff matches in 2013.

One of MLS’s best 1-v-1 defenders, Beltran was the only MLS outside back to be called to the U.S. Men’s National Team for both a World Cup Qualifier in the CONCACAF Hexagonal and the CONCACAF Gold Cup last year. Beltran also earned his first MLS All-Star selection in 2013, starting and playing 90 minutes at right back for the All-Stars against Italian opponent AS Roma.

Acquired

RSL: Selected in the first round (3rd overall) of the 2008 MLS SuperDraft on 1/18/08

Professional Career

2014: Beltran rounded out the Salt Lake defense with 29 appearances at right back. His 28 starts and 2,483 minutes were second only to his career-high totals in 2012 as Beltran made his 150th career start for RSL this season. He now has 164 career appearances and 151 starts in seven seasons with the Claret-and-Cobalt. Over the final three matches of the season, Beltran came back from a herniated disc in his spine to help RSL to three straight shutouts to close out the season.

2013: Made 25 appearances – including 24 starts – in the regular season ... Finished the year with one assist, which came in RSL’s 1-0 win over Toronto FC on June 29 ... Real Salt Lake was 14-6-5 with Beltran in the lineup and 2-4-3 in the nine games that he missed … RSL averaged just 1.05 goals against in Beltran’s 25 appearances ... Played every minute of RSL’s five postseason games, including the MLS Cup Final … Earned his first MLS All-Star selection and played the full 90 minutes at right back for the All-Stars against opponent AS Roma … Scored one goal and notched one assist in Real Salt Lake’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup run … Scored in RSL’s 3-0 win over Carolina Railhawks on June 26 … Provided an assist in RSL’s 5-2 win over Charleston Battery on June 12 … Was the only MLS outside back to be called to the U.S. Men’s National Team for both a World Cup Qualifier in the CONCACAF Hexagonal and last summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament … Played a full 90 minutes in the U.S.’s 4-1 win over Cuba in Gold Cup group play

2012: Led RSL and set career highs with 32 games played, 32 games started and 2,857 minutes played … Established himself as one of the most reliable players in the league, combining stellar defending with efficient offensive work throughout the 2012 season … Finished the year with zero goals and two assists in league play, registering both of his helpers in the Claret-and-Cobalt’s 2-0 Subaru Rocky Mountain Cup win over the rival Colorado Rapids at Rio Tinto Stadium on April 17 … Started both legs in Real Salt Lake's Western Conference Semifinal series loss to Seattle Sounders FC ... Earned his first senior international call up in December, when it was announced that he – along with teammate Kyle Beckerman – had been called up by U.S. manager Jurgen Klinsmann for the 2013 USMNT January camp in Los Angeles …

2011: Collected one goal and one assist in 2,259 minutes across 30 appearances (24 starts) in all competitions … Recorded his first career goal in a RSL uniform by finishing the game-winner in U.S. Open Cup play v. USL Wilmington Hammerheads on 6/28 that led to a 2-0 win … Contributed the second game-winning assist of his career on 3/19 @ SJ (64’) by getting deep into the offensive corner, cutting ball back to Morales, who set up Beckerman for the goal … Made 7 appearances (4 starts) in CONCACAF Champions League in 2011, playing 438 minutes culminating with a 45 minute performance in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League Final … Started at least four games in a row on three different occasions (5/22 @ DAL – 6/8 @ CLB, 6/18 v. DC – 7/23 v. SJ and 8/20 @ HOU – 9/10 @ SEA) … Started 9/10 @ SEA and put in 35 minutes before being ejected for his second yellow card, earning him his first ejection of his four-year MLS career … Suffered a left adductor tear in 0-1 Reserve League loss on 9/18 v. KC, which forced him to miss the remaining eight MLS regular season fixtures as well as the first leg of the Western Conference Semifinals on 10/29 v. SEA … Made his return from injury by starting and playing a full 90 minutes in his third-career playoff appearance on 11/02 @ SEA that ended in a 2-0 defeat, but was enough to send RSL through on aggregate (3-2) … His leaping, headed block in the six-yard box on Jeff Parke’s 36th minute blast proved crucial to RSL’s advancement and was one of the top defensive plays of the MLS season … Logged eight minutes in the Western Conference Finals on 11/06 @ LA, coming on in place of the injured Jamison Olave.

2010: Collected a pair of assists in 2,065 minutes across 24 appearances (22 starts) in all competitions … His cerebral style and ability to recover was evident, as he committed just 12 fouls and was cautioned only once in 1,493 minutes of regular season action … Key contributor in helping Real Salt Lake smash the MLS record for fewest goals allowed in a season, the Utah side allowing only 20 goals in its 30 contests (previous record 23 GA by 2007 Houston Dynamo) …Contributed to the 3rd and 4th longest shutout streaks in MLS history: a 567-minute run (5/29 v. KC – 7/17 @ DAL) and a 568-minute stretch (8/11 @ PHI – 9/25 v. COL) … Started and went the full 120 min. in RSL’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup qualifier on 4/14 @ SJ, a wild 3-3 draw that RSL advanced from via a 5-3 triumph in penalties … Followed that match by making first appearances in regular season play as a starter in four consecutive contests (4/17 @ LA – 5/08 v. PHI) … His helper in a 2-1 victory on 5/01 v. TOR (Williams – 42’) broke a two-year, 38-game streak without a point in regular season play (last assist on 04/26/08 @ DC in 2nd career match) and marked his first career game-winning assist … Played 90 minutes and wore the captain’s armband on 5/15 in RSL’s 1-1 draw with the Mexican U-21 National Team in an international friendly … One of 3 RSL’ers to log all 210 minutes in sweltering conditions during U.S. Open Cup qualifying (6/02) and MLS regular season (6/05) affairs @ DC (Borchers & Johnson) … Starting with 8/11 @ PHI match, went full 90 minutes in nine of team’s final 11 regular season contests, sitting out of only 9/04 v. NY and 10/22 @ COL affairs (4-0-5 record, 3 goals allowed, 6 shutouts in those contests) … Made three appearances in CONCACAF Champions League play, beginning on 9/15 v. TOR when he played 62 minutes in place of an injured Robbie Russell in a 4-1 triumph at Rio Tinto Stadium … Would get starting nods in pivotal CCL wins on 9/22 @ Arabe Unido (3-2 W) and 10/19 v. Cruz Azul (3-1 W) … Assisted on Paulo Jr.’s second tally of the night on 10/19 v. Cruz Azul, the game-winning helper allowing RSL to become the first MLS team to finish atop its group in nine such attempts … Made second career playoff appearance on 11/06 v. DAL, going the full 90 minutes in a 1-1 draw in Sandy that ended RSL’s season abruptly in the two-legged Western Conference Semifinals (2-3 aggregate loss).

2009: Started 21 of his 23 MLS appearances during an impressive sophomore season for RSL … After beginning season by starting 5 of RSL’s first 11 games, finished by featuring in the first XI in 16 of last 19 contests … RSL went 8-6-7 in games which Beltran started … Went full 90 min. on 4/28 @ SEA in a 1-4 loss in Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup qualifying play … Started six straight games from 6/06 v. COL through 7/18 @ CLB, which coincided with the squad’s five-match undefeated streak (2-0-3) leading into the Crew contest … Ended up playing 80 min. off the bench in RSL’s next contest, a wild 4-2 win on 7/24 v. DAL, in place of an injured Robbie Russell … Also logged 90 minutes on 7/11 v. Club America (MEX) in the 2009 edition of the XanGo Cup, a 1-0 victory to RSL … Started 10 of RSL’s final 12 regular season games, missing matches on 8/29 @ KC (coach’s decision/schedule congestion) and 9/19 @ HOU (caution accumulation) … One of two RSL players (w/ Wingert) to go the distance on 10/07 v. CD Guadalajara in the contentious 1-1 friendly draw … Starting nod and 79-minute effort in a 1-0 win on 10/31 v. CLB in Leg One of the Eastern Conf. Semifinal Series marked his MLS Cup Playoffs debut … Injury (R hip flexor strain) removed him from consideration for Leg Two on 11/05 @ CLB … Returned to make gameday roster for East Championship on 11/14 @ CHI and MLS Cup on 11/22 v. LA at Seattle’s Qwest Field.

2008: Only injury kept RSL’s top overall SuperDraft selection from appearing in more than half of RSL’s regular season contests in 2008, the UCLA product starting in 10 of 15 appearances during his rookie campaign and contributing one assist along the way … Selected by RSL 3rd overall in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft on 1/18/08 in Baltimore … Made his official MLS debut on 4/12 v. DC, playing 7 minutes in reserve in RSL’s 4-0 win … Recorded first MLS assist two weeks later on 4/26 @ DC, his deflection off a corner kick leading to Talley’s 77’ finish in a 1-4 defeat … Started and played all 90 minutes on 4/30 v. SJ in helping RSL to a 4-0 USOC Play-In win, and earned his first MLS start four days later via a 74-minute effort on 5/03 v. LA (2-2 T) … That start marked the first of nine consecutive first XI nods in League play in which the rookie was available for selection … Left RSL camp for two weeks in late May to join U.S. Under-23 squad that competed in the Toulon International Tournament in France, missing only the 5/24 @ FCD match in the process … Re-joined squad in mid-Ohio and played final 29 minutes of RSL’s 0-2 L @ CLB on 5/27 in U.S. Open Cup play-in action … Victimized for first career own goal in 89’ of 0-1 loss @ KC on 6/28 … Came on and played the last 45 minutes of RSL’s 1-4 L v. Santos Laguna (MEX) in XanGo Cup 2008 … A lingering adductor strain suffered in mid-August forced Beltran to undergo sports hernia surgery on 9/17 in Munich, Germany … Played 1 minute in his return to first-team soccer for RSL on 10/04 @ NE after missing previous 7 League matches due to injury.

International Career

U.S. Senior MNT: Called to the U.S. for the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup … Played one game in the Americans’ run to the Gold Cup title, going the full 90 in the U.S.’s 4-1 Group C win over Cuba at Rio Tinto Stadium … Earned first cap in the U.S.'s 0-0 draw v. Canada on Jan. 29, 2012, starting and playing the first half before being subbed out ... Called up to the USMNT for the first time in December 2012, when manager Jurgen Klinsmann named him to the roster for the January 2013 training camp …

U.S. Youth Teams: Became a member of the U.S. Youth National Teams pool in 2003 … U.S. Under 23's: Beltran made two appearances for the U.S. U-23 squad that competed in the Toulon (France) International Tournament in May 2008 … Played the 2nd half of the USA’s first match in Toulon against Turkey on 5/21/08 (0-1 L) and went the full 90 minutes on 5/23/08 v. Ivory Coast (2-3 L) … U.S. Under 20's: Was a starter in all five games for the United States Under-20 MNT that advanced to the quarterfinals at the 2007 FIFA Under-20 World Cup … Recorded an assist in the USA’s 6-1 group stage win over Poland on 7/03/07 … Started all three games for the U-20s at the 2006 Milk Cup … U.S. Under 18's: Starter for the U-18 team that won the 2005 Milk Cup.

College

2005-2007: Played three years of collegiate soccer, beginning his career at St. John’s (NY) before transferring closer to home for two more years with national powerhouse UCLA … Started in 45 of his 56 collegiate contests, scoring twice and adding six assists … Started all 21 of his contests in his junior season in 2007 – and played all but four minutes of the season – for UCLA, notching a pair of assists from the right fullback and defensive midfielder positions … Earned All-Pac 10 First-Team and Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Season Second-Team honors … Assisted on the game-winners against Cal and at home against Oregon State … Overcame an early-season ankle injury as a sophomore in 2006 to make 14 appearances for UCLA, his return coinciding with the Bruins’ run to the Men’s College Cup title contest … Missed nearly a full month after undergoing an ankle arthroscopy on 9/29 … Earned College Cup All-Tournament honors … Recorded his first point for the Bruins with an assist in the Championship match, a 2-1 loss to UC-Santa Barbara … Played in 21 games with 10 starts as a freshman in 2005 at St. John's University ... Scored two goals with three assists for a total of seven points, which ranked him fifth on the team Red Storm team in scoring ... Recorded a goal and an assist against Louisville ... Scored a goal in the 4-1 win over second-ranked Duke.

High School/Club

Two-time Parade All-American at Claremont High School under coach Fred Bruce Olivier … Also named to the 2004 NSCAA/adidas High School All-America squad … Listed as the No. 2 high school prospect at the forward position in 2005 … adidas ESP All-Star in 2004 and an adidas All-Star selection in 2003 … Served as team captain in 2005 and also earned Baseline League MVP honors … Received First-Team All-League honors as a senior and junior and Second-Team acclaim as a freshman … Region IV Olympic Development Program (ODP) team member from 2002-05 and captain of the 2004 squad ... ODP State Team member from 2001-05, including a national championship-winning campaign in 2003 ... Played club soccer with Arsenal FC alongside former RSL teammate Yura Movsisyan.

Personal

A history major while an undergraduate at UCLA, Beltran is continuing his collegiate studies as an English major at the University of Utah … Lists playing for the U.S. at the 2007 FIFA Under-20 World Cup as the most thrilling moment in his athletic career … Admires Real Madrid midfielder Cristiano Ronaldo … Full name is Anthony Benjamin Beltran.